15 Revealing Stats On The Current State Of Greek Life

15. Most of America’s biggest companies are run by fraternity men!

An impressive 85% of executives at Fortune 500 companies called fraternities home during college.

14. Some fraternities and sororities have had to ban alcohol

Research consistently shows that Greek life involvement leads to a heightened risk of alcohol and drug abuse, to the point that 25% of colleges in two recently researched states have had to outright bar participants from imbibing to keep them academically on track.

13. Greeks are generous givers

When it comes to donating to their alma maters, fraternity- and sorority-involved alumni give four times as much as their non-Greek counterparts. Not only that, but they also account for 75% of all total college and university donations. Undergraduate members give an annual average of $7 million and 850,000 hours toward charitable causes.

12. Drinking holds more influence over Greek academics

Only 25% of college students report doing poorly on a project or test as a result of alcohol, but the number skyrockets to 50% along with Greek involvement.

11. Greeks are more likely to finish college

Belonging to a fraternity or sorority increases one’s chances of completing a degree, with 71% of Greeks graduating versus 50% of non-Greeks.

When it comes to drinking in Greek houses, 83% of residents ended up suffering as a result of their brothers’ and sisters’ alcohol consumption.

9. The size of the North-American Interfraternity Conference

Seventy-five member organizations, over 800 campuses across the United States and Canada, 5,500 chapters, and around 350,000 represented undergraduates. Not bad.

8. Sorority girls have a higher rate of alcohol abuse

Outside the Greek system, 40.9% of college females admit to abusing alcohol, whereas sorority girls drink heavily at a rate of 62.4%.

7. Gay and bisexual Greeks are happier than one would think

64% percent of gay fraternity members report high degrees of satisfaction with their experiences, as do 56% of lesbians — definitely a break from the stereotypes painting Greek life as a bastion of heteronormativity and intolerance.

6. Leaders receive alcohol-related injuries

At a pretty scary rate, too. In fraternities, 26.9% of the leadership sustained an injury as a result of alcohol, as did 18.6% of their sorority equivalents.

5. Greek life is represented in national anti-hazing initiatives

HazingPrevention.org’s annual report proudly noted that 17 representatives of fraternities and sororities across the U.S. participated in its annual symposium discussing how to stop such dangerous practices, with many organizations outright banning them in their manifestos.

4. Fraternities might account for most campus gang rapes

Numerous studies over time have shown that fraternity men are more likely to commit rape and sexual assault, with some estimating that between 70% and 90% of on-campus gang rapes happen thanks to them.

3. Greeks are not more likely to abuse alcohol later in life

Despite the prolificacy of alcohol in fraternity and sorority houses and the greater penchant toward abuse while in college, Greeks are not statistically more or less at risk of suffering from substance abuse issues after graduation.

2. Sorority parents worry about their daughters’ body image

21% of moms and dads believe their sorority daughters suffer from poor body image as a result of their organizational involvement. Only 7% with independent kids held this perception.

1. Zeta Tau Alpha is the most generous sorority. Sigma Chi is the most generous fraternity

Both The Daily Beast and Newsweek praised Zeta Tau Alpha and Sigma Chi as the most charitable Greek organizations, as they respectively donated $384,039 and $1,436,883 to nonprofits in 2011 — more than any others.